


When Everything's Down

by Random_Nerd3



Series: JatP Whumptober 2020 [5]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst, Caleb Covington Being Himself, Day 5, Episode: s01e09 Stand Tall, Evil!Caleb Covington (Julie and The Phantoms), F/M, Failed escape, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Luke Doesn't Make It, Luke Patterson Whump (Julie and The Phantoms), Not A Caleb Redemption Story, Protective Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Self Sacrificing Idiotic Himbos, Self-Indulgent, whumptober2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26848498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nerd3/pseuds/Random_Nerd3
Summary: The world around Luke morphed into television static as he was pulled closer to her. He could hear Alex and Reggie playing harder, trying to help him poof onto the stage. Just as Luke felt the familiar tug in his gut and the ground disappear from his feet Caleb appeared behind him, shoving Luke to the ground. Luke coughed as Caleb’s magic crawled through his bones, wrapping around him like a fly caught in a spider’s web.
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex & Luke Patterson & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: JatP Whumptober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949821
Comments: 25
Kudos: 170





	When Everything's Down

The music they played for Caleb in the club definitely had a different feel from their usual rock, but Luke could still  _ feel _ it. He could feel the audience’s energy in a way he just couldn’t when he, Alex, and Reggie performed with Julie. Luke tried to look across the stage to Reggie like he usually did when they played, but got worried when he saw Caleb’s dancers set between them instead. He could hear the bass playing, the familiar coursed through Luke’s bones but something felt off about it. Reggie was playing perfectly like he usually did, but it was missing passion, it was missing Reggie’s  _ soul. _ Luke’s fingers moved on their own accord, shredding against the strings as Caleb pranced around the tables like a show pony. “Reggie! Alex!” Luke called out, but he could barely hear their responses over the performers and roaring crowds around them. His suit was too  _ tight _ , there was a reason Luke never wore any sleeves. They were always uncomfortable and hard to move around on stage whenever he wore anything with long sleeves.

_ “Luke!” _ Reggie’s distant voice called out as Caleb launched into the next verse. Luke frantically tried to keep up with the beat Alex was playing. They continued on for a few minutes, trapped in Caleb’s spell as Luke and his boys tried to fight their way back to Julie. The harder Luke pushed against Caleb’s music the harder the jolts hit him and he was thrown against the stage, knocked off his feet. Luke struggled to pull himself up as he lagged behind, a few beats too slow for the peppy showtune Caleb was performing. Luke kept his eyes on Caleb, but the ghost didn’t seem to notice Luke’s mistake. Alex picked up the drum beat for an impromptu solo Caleb called him out for, and Luke was finally able to see at least  _ one  _ of his friends. Alex was dressed in a suit like Luke, but for some godforsaken reason Caleb thought it was a good idea to put him in a nearly see-through dress shirt underneath his jacket. Luke couldn’t help but notice how out of place Alex looked, despite being behind the drums where he normally was.

“Alex!” Luke yelled out as his friend absolutely destroyed his solo. Alex looked at him with wide, surprised eyes. He shouted something back at Luke, but Luke couldn’t hear what he said. Luke could only watch helplessly as Alex’s confused eyes darted around the club, hoping Willie would show up to help them. Caleb kept the crowd entertained and moved his dancers through the table, and Luke was finally able to see Reggie too.

“What’s going on?!” Reggie shouted as Luke tried to step closer to him. His feet felt heavy though, like they were tied to weights holding him down where Caleb poofed them. Luke shuffled a little bit before deciding trying to move was wasting too much of his energy. Another jolt of pain raced through his body and he clutched his chest, waiting it out. Looking back at Reggie Luke said,

“We have to get back to Julie!” Just as Reggie was about to yell something back the drum beat faltered. Luke and Reggie both looked to Alex who was flickering, fading away, but a large grin stretched across his face and he switched from Caleb’s sucky show tune song to the steady first few notes of  _ Stand Tall _ . Alex looked down at them from his drums and yelled,

“Listen! It’s Julie!” Luke was about to tell Alex he was going crazy, but then he heard it too. Looking at Reggie he could see the bassist could hear her as well. Julie’s voice wrapped around Luke like a protective blanket, trying to shield him from Caleb’s magic.

_ “Don’t blink, no I don’t want to miss it. One thing and it’s back to the beginning,”  _ Julie sang, her voice cutting through Caleb’s static, pulling Luke back to her. A sudden realization dawned on Luke as he realized she wasn’t just playing  _ Stand Tall _ . She was playing  _ Stand Tall _ for Sunset Curve, she was playing for them at the Orpheum.  _ “Cause everything is rushing in fast, keep going on, never look back.”  _ Alex’s flickering started to happen more rapidly and somehow Caleb still hadn’t noticed it yet. Reggie switched playing to  _ Stand Tall _ next, fingers running across his bass like it was a second limb. The pull was at his chest and he could feel himself trying to get back to Julie. Caleb’s hold on him was too strong though, and Luke could only watch as his bandmates started to flicker without him.

“We’re not leaving without you!” Reggie promised as he managed to cross the stage, putting a hand on Luke’s shoulders, grounding him. No matter how much he tried, Luke still wasn’t able to stop playing to the beat of Caleb’s song. No matter how much he wanted to play with Alex and Reggie, his fingers had tiny little minds of their own, moving on their own accord. He wasn’t strong enough to play against Caleb’s magic, much less poof into the Orpheum.

_ “And it’s one, two, three, four times. That I’ll try for one more night, light a fire in my eyes. I’m going out of my mind!” _ Luke winced as another jolt raced through him. Julie’s voice wrapped around him and he tried to keep fighting Caleb’s magic. Alex’s flickering got more out of control and Luke could tell Caleb was starting to notice the drum beat falling behind.  _ “Whatever happens even if I’m the last standing I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall! Whatever happens even when everything’s down I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall.” _ Julie’s voice sounded amazing as always but she didn’t seem to be putting her entire heart into the performance. If Luke didn’t know any better she was singing with a bittersweet voice, like she knew her boys would never get back to her.

“Get out of here when you can!” Luke yelled back just as Alex’s longest flicker happened. Alex looked at them with a wide smile on his face.

“Guys, Julie’s playing the Orpheum for us! I saw her!” Alex called out from his place behind his drums.

_ “I gotta keep on dreaming, cause I gotta catch that feeling. Whatever happens, even if I’m the last one standing I’ma stand tall, I’m stand tall!”  _ Julie sang out, her voice cutting through the tightly woven knit of fabric Caleb had wrapped around Luke’s mind. Luke turned to yell something back at Alex, but the drummer flickered out of the club taking the drum kit with him, leaving Luke and Reggie behind.

“Go,” Luke said as Reggie himself started to flicker. His hand passed through Luke’s shoulder as he got pulled closer to Julie, closer to their  _ family _ . Reggie was his brother, his little brother. If either of them was the next to leave Luke was going to make damn sure it was him. Reggie didn’t deserve the afterlife Caleb had planned out for them. He let out a strand of hoarse sounding coughs, and some sort of black goopy ghost blood hit the stage floor at his feet. Luke’s eyes watered as he looked up to his brother, begging Reggie to get out of the club while he could. “Just, if I don’t make it -” Luke started, but Reggie cut him off with a hug.

“You  _ will _ make it Luke,” Reggie said, like it was easy to break out of Caleb’s silky, spider-webbed promises stuck in Luke’s mind. He wanted to believe it was true. He  _ wanted _ to go back to Julie, to go back to his band but he was already feeling weaker than usual. The jolts were getting worse though, and he just knew he wasn’t going to be able to fight against Caleb’s magic anymore.

“If I don’t make it,” Luke said, leveling with Reggie’s eyes. “Tell Julie I loved her.” Reggie nodded as he flashed out of Caleb’s club, leaving Luke alone on a stage full of strangers. The dancers surrounded Luke, making it millions of times harder for him to concentrate on Julie and the others.

_ “Right now I’m loving every minute, hands down can’t let myself forget it, no. Cause everything is rushing in fast. No moving on never look back,” _ Julie sang in the back of Luke’s mind. He tried to fight against Caleb’s magic. He  _ had  _ to, there wasn’t any other choice, not unless he wanted to live the rest of his afterlife as Caleb’s servant. Luke started to speak the next few words, he wasn’t strong enough to sing them yet though.

“And it’s one, two, three, four times -” Luke coughed as a new jolt pushed through his body, knocking his knees to the ground. He pushed himself up, bending his knees slightly as he started to feel himself pulled out of the Hollywood Ghost Club. The world around him flickered and he stumbled blindly around the stage, guitar hanging forgotten against his back. “Light a fire in my eyes,” Luke said weakly and out of breath, in harmony with Julie. The world around him morphed into television static as he was pulled closer to her. He could hear Alex and Reggie playing harder, trying to help him poof onto the stage. Just as Luke felt the familiar tug in his gut and the ground disappear from his feet Caleb appeared behind him, shoving Luke to the ground. Luke coughed as Caleb’s magic crawled through his bones, wrapping around him like a fly caught in a spider’s web. 

“And just where do you think you’re going, lover boy?” Caleb hissed into Luke’s ear, yanking him up violently by the hair. Luke yelped in pain at the harsh action and tried to pry himself from Caleb’s grip, but there was no use. Despite his fate being sealed Luke couldn’t help but feel grateful. His family made it out of the ghost club, Alex and Reggie were safe, Julie was safe… that was all that mattered. Black fog swarmed into Caleb’s eyes as an evil grin cracked from ear to ear. Luke couldn’t do anything to stop Caleb from angrily slapping him across the face, leaving a red mark behind. For the first time in his life, Luke Patterson missed his cue as Reggie’s voice floated through his mind as he lost control of his own fate.

_ “I’m going out of my mind!” _

**Author's Note:**

> Yell at me on Tumblr: @Random-Nerd-3


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